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Booting AND Virtualizing a Windows Installation


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Hi,

Is it possible, if I have Windows and OS X installed on my system, to be able to boot to either os x or windows (with GRUB or something) -AND- be able to run it in paralells?

ie. I can either be using Mac OS X and be virtualizing Windows in Paralells, or Boot into that SAME installation natively...

 

I hope you understand.

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Yes and no. I am pretty sure that you cannot use parellels to access an already installed partition, but you could simply install windows again in parellels. But of course you wouldnt have access to all of your original xp intalls files.

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I don't mind moving across my files...

so are you saying if I make a new paralells windows installation, I will be able to boot to it natively too?

You know how? Any guides, etc?

 

You just use Parallels. Launch it, set it up, install XP.... It's not naitive, it's virtualized.

 

You can also set up a Boot Camp partition too, but Parallels cannot use the Boot Camp partition. They are two separate copies of XP onthe same Mac.

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No, I mean so I am using the same windows installation for Paralells and native. That's the whole point otherwise I wouldn't be asking because I know I can have 2 installations. I want to be able to play games, use powerfull apps etc on one partition, but use the same installation for basic stuff in paralells.

200GB doesn't go that far. I would have to have 3 windows installations, 1 OS X and 1 linux... That's a lot of HDD space.

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  • 4 weeks later...

VMWare has announced that beta testing will begin soon for a Mac OS X version of their software. I really really hope it will support the loading a VM from a Windows partition. That would be PERFECT!

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VMWare has announced that beta testing will begin soon for a Mac OS X version of their software. I really really hope it will support the loading a VM from a Windows partition. That would be PERFECT!

Hogie,

I very much doubt that you could have a single partition boot Windows both natively and in VMWare. Windows (unlike Mac) is VERY unforgiving when it comes to changing hardware out. For example...

 

You have a PowerMac G4 running OSX, you mobo or CPU dies. You can literally just remove the hard drive and throw it in another (PPC) Mac and boot right up. Just try doing this with Windows, blue screen in under 30 seconds guaranteed unless the hardware is near identical (MUST have same motherboard).

 

The reason I gave this example is because when you run VMWare, Parallels, or the like that virtual environment is given a set of pseudo-devices, most especially the BIOS. This would prevent that VM environment from then booting on a normal Windows boot (or vice-versa).

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